Clamp for cabinet-makers



(NOAMQdel.)

J. W; WEISBR. CLAMP PoR GABINET'MA-KERS.

No. 292,391. Patented Jan. "22, 1884.

MALLA.

............ .y umngmpner, wmngwn. D, c,

. a perspective view of a clamp of the character 4referred to constructed inaccordance with pearthe invention consists inthe matters herel UNITED STATI-2s JOHN WILLIAM wEIsER,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.-

CLAMP FOR CABINET-MAKERS.

SPIECIFICATION forming part of I letters llatentNo. 292,391, dated January 22, 1884.v

' Application med october 4,1883. (No model.) l

To. a/VZZ whom it 71mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. WEIsER, of Chicago, inthecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamps for Cabinet- Makers; andI do hereby Vdeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to'the accompanying drawings, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to clamping devices, such as are used by joiners and cabinet-makers in bringing joints of separate Aparts properly together in gluing 0r' otherwise fastening them.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved construction in such clamps, whereby they are adapted to be more quickly applied to and' disengaged from the work.

To this and other ends that will further apinafter set forth and claimed. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is my invention.l Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central vertical section thereof.

I A is the longitudinal bar of the clamp. Bis aflxed bracket at one end thereof, and C is a movable bracket, adapted to slide upon and. engage the bar'A at any desired point of its length. D is a lever operating a cam or eccentric, D', pivoted to the bracket B, and arranged to bear inwardly against the work by' a downward movement of the lever D. B' is a movable block, suspended yfrom the beam A by the link B2 in bearing against the face of cam D', and therefore-interposed between the face of the said cam and the adjacent surface of the work or article upon which the clamp bears in use."

To describe the illustrated construction of the device more particularly, the bracket B isduplex in form, or provided with a slot, b, as clearly indicated in Fig. l, and is attached to or forms part of a metal plate, b', let into the under face of the beam, and secured'thereto firmly by the vertical bolt-s b2 b3.

Vithin theslot b of theduplex bracketB is inserted the dat head D2 of the lever D, and said head is pivotally held in place by the stout pivot-pin d, which forms the axis or center of motion of said lever. The head of the lever has an eccentric portion or cam, D', formed thereon, and constructedto throw inwardly or toward the opposite end of the beam A by a downward movement of the lever D, as shown. On the outer edge of the leverhead, kor opposite the cam-face D', said head is made concentric for a suitablel distance, and is provided with the teeth or notches d on the concentric edge.

Above the lever-head, and within the slot b of the bracket, is a pawl,E, pivoted to rise and fall freely on the pin e. The outer or Klower end of this pawl is constructed to engage the teeth d' on the lever-head. The opposite end of said pawl is -iiexibly connected with a rod, F, which rises through the plate b, and' through an aperture in the beam A, and reaches to a point slightly above the upper surface of the beam when the pawl is in engagement with the notches of the lever-head. The upper portion of the aperture in the beam, through which the said post rises, is enlarged to form a recess, f', within which is placed the expanding coiled spring F', surrounding the post F, and held in place thereon by the button f, screwed or otherwise secured upon the top of the post. The spring F' being eXpan` sive, by its upward pressure upon the button f, lifts the inner end of the pawlE, and throws the opposite end or point of said pawlinto engagement with the ratchet d' of the vleverhead. XVhen it is desired to lift the lever D,

therefore, it is obviously necessary to depress vthe button f, so as to lift the pawl out'of engagement with said ratchet.

In or upon the upper surface of thcbeam A,

for a greater or less portion of itsvlength as may be desired for the class of work for which the clamp is to be used, is secured a metallic rack, A', having its teeth c preferablyfcast, filed, or otherwise formed at, say, an eighthI of an inch or other short intervalapart; The movable bracket or block C is made of the same thickness as the beam A, and is of considerable length, so as to bear broadly against IOO the lower surl'ace of the said beam. The movable bracket G is suspended from the beam by means of the pawl-block Cl and links (C-one on each side of the bracket and beam. The pawl-plate C2 is constructed with teeth c on its under surface, adapted to engage with the teeth a of the rack A. v The links C are of Vsuch length as to allow the plate C2 to be lifted out of engagement with the rack-teeth when the clamp is disengaged from the work, in order that the bracket C may be slid along the under surface of the beam to any desired point thereon, after which the block is let fall, so as to bring its teeth into engagement with the rack in an obvious m, 11er.

As previously set forth, the teeth a of the rack A are relatively small and close together, so as to permit the movable bracket and pawlplate C2 to be shifted laterally through short intervals, and to permit an accurate adjustment of said bracket to the object to which the clamp is applied, and whereby less movement of the lever D and cam D is required than would otherwise be necessary. ln order to provide the necessary strength inthe connection between the bracket and beam in the use of such small teeth, the pawl-plate CL' is iliade of considerable length, and is provided with a number of teeth c upon iis under surface, so as to hold said pawl-plate securely from longitudinal movement upon the beam under any strain that may come upon the bracket.

The movable block B is suspended loosely from the beam A by making the link B?, by which it hangs, larger than the beam. By this means said block may not only be moved freely lengthwise of the beam, but it may also tilt ont of a vertical position, or laterally out of parallel with the face of the bracket C, so that the clamp may be made to bear squarely upon other than parallel surfaces. The entire block B may be either of metal or of wood. Then of the latter, the link B2 may be a cast extension of a back plate, B, screwed or otherwise fastened to the block B', and forming a durable bearing-surface, against which thc eccentric or cam face D` of the lever-head bears.

The operation of the clamp is as follows: To lift the lever D, the button f is depressed by pressure of the thumb ot' one hand, while the other is applied to raise the lever. The lever being lifted to its utmost height, and the cam D being thereby retreated, the block B is pushed or allowed to fall against said cam. The bracket C is then set at the desired point upon the beam, after which the clalnp is applied to the article or parts to be compressed, when, by a downward movement of the lever D, the movable block B is forced inward, and the work of compression therebyy effected. rlhe pawl E, actuated by the spring F, takes into the ratchet d', and holds the cam D in whatever position it is given in depressing the lever D. The movable block B', in the operation of compression, adjusts itself readily t0 the direction of the face against whichit bears, and all motion of the moving parts is limited to the external surface of the plate B, in contact with which the face of the cam works.

It is obvious that the power derived from the cam properly constructed for the purpose is greatly superior to that obtained in the use of clamp-screws heretofore commonly employed in clamps of this character, and it is also obvious that in combination with a cam and lever for working the same a notched plate, A, having small notches, by which the clamp is adapted to be set close to the work in the first instance, is desirable. .lo permit the notches or teeth a to bc made small enough for this purpose, they must obviously be of metal, requiring thc use of a metal plate, A. Said plate, instead of being narrower than the face of the beam, to which it is applied, as shown, may bc of the full width of said beam, if preferred.

I claim as my inventionl. rI "he combination, with the beam ol' a clamp, of a stationary bracket secured to one end thereof, an opposing movable bracket upon the beam, a block connected loosely with the beam so as to have free vertical and lateral movement, and a cam pivotally mounted in the stationary bracket and constructed to bear upon the said movable block, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the clamp-beam A, provided with a stationary bracket at one end and a metal plate having aseries of notches, a, of a movable bracket, C, opposed to the stationary bracket, a movable pawl-plate, C, provided with teeth adapted to engage with the said notches, and links pivotally connected at their ends with the said bracket and pawlplate, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the beam A of a clamp provided with a stationary bracket at one end, of a notched metal plate,A, secured to the beam, a movable bracket, C, opposed to the stationary bracket, a pawl-block, .0", constructed to engage the notched plate, said pawl-block and bracket being arranged upon opposite sides of the beam, and links C', connected with the pawl-block and bracket, slibstantially as described. f

4. The combination, with the beam of a clamp, a stationary bracket secured to one end thereof, and an opposing movable bracket, of a cam mounted in said stationary bracket provided with a suitable ratchet and lever, a pawl constructed to engage the ratchet, and means for releasing the pawl constructed to operate from thetop of the beam, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the beam A of a clamp provided with a stationary slotted bracket, B, at one end, and an opposing movable bracket, of the lever D, having a head,

IOO

IIO

' D2, pivotally connected with the stationary In testimony that I claim the foregoing as bracket and constructedwith an eccentric pormy invention I aiiix my signature in presence tion, D, and a notched concentric portion, d', of two Witnesses.

2t seltacting pawl, E, constructed to engage JOHN `IVM. VEISER. 5 the notches d,`and means for releasing the Witnesses:

pawl from engagement with the notches, sub- M. E. DAYTON,

stantially as described. JEssE COX, Jr. 

